The Dress
by quinnovative
Summary: "With a held breath and shaky hand Grace turned the knob on her closet door. She shifted some boxes and pushed aside a few unimportant possessions. And there it was, in the left corner sat her old wedding dress folded neatly in its box." Grace was finally wearing that glorious wedding dress, finally letting go of Craig, and finally marrying her best friend. (Tag to episode 6x03)


**Warning: **This story has spoilers for episode 6x03 "Wedding in Red"

**A/N: **I've been waiting for Van Pelt and Rigsby to get married for a long time now! I'm so excited that it's finally happened! The scene from "Wedding in Red" where Van Pelt was in the interrogation room and talking about Craig and Rigsby gave me so many feelings that I just had to write this. The raw heartache and emotions inspired this little one-shot. I hope you enjoy, reviews are always welcomed.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Mentalist or any of their characters.

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**A Single Tear**

With a held breath and shaky hand Grace turned the knob on her closet door. She shifted some boxes and pushed aside a few unimportant possessions. And there it was, in the left corner sat her old wedding dress folded neatly in its box. Grace pulled out the box and placed it on her bed. She nervously lifted off the lid and peered inside. Hesitantly, as if unsure of herself Grace reached out and touched the dress.

Her slender fingers danced along the beaded material, her mind taking in all the painful memories that still haunted her; vivid and alive. But this time she wasn't afraid, she had hope and happiness and true love on her side. She could feel it, slowly but surely she was coming back. Grace Van Pelt was finding her old self again, a gap was being filled.

This dress was a symbol of so much more than a wedding; it was a reminder, a reminder of who she had been and who she was becoming, of where she had been and where she was going. It was a symbol of hope, fear, sadness, happiness, growth, and so much more. Grace pulled out the dress and held it up to her shoulders, it was perfect. She twirled and giggled like a little girl dancing in the moonlight.

As Grace placed the dress back in its box a glimmering piece caught her eye. The engagement ring. After Craig's death Grace couldn't bear to look at the ring or to dispose of it. So she left it in the box hoping to forget about it all. She pulled out the ring, admiring the way it shimmered in the soft light. Grace slipped the ring into her pocket and hurriedly packed up the dress, this time leaving it in a more accessible place.

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Grace stood out on the beach where Craig had taken her on their first date fingering the silver ring.

_It had been a warm night; the salt was thick in the air and the sand soft beneath her feet. She'd abandoned her shoes back at the car when Craig had taken her to the beach after dinner. They walked hand-in-hand, making conversation and listening to the waves crash against the shore. Grace could still feel the way he'd looked at her and the way he'd made her laugh. _

_Sometimes she questioned whether it was real, whether he really was dead there were times at night that her dreams felt so vivid, so real that she couldn't distinguish reality for nightmare. So why was this just a nightmare? It could be couldn't it? Except for the fact that she still had a ring in her hand and a pain in her heart that could never be dreamt up. Craig had been charming and Grace a bit naïve, wishing for a distraction from her fall out with Rigsby. Looking back it had all seemed too easy, too perfectly timed. But back then it'd felt as though Grace had found everything she'd wanted. At the time the cool sea breeze had made her feel brave, her open heart had made her hopeful._

Finally Grace stopped turning the ring around her fingers. She looked down at it and closed her eyes as she gently kissed it. "Goodbye Craig" The faint words escaped her lips as she tossed the ring. She watched as the waves swallowed it, the ring sinking below the ocean's depths. In the moments that followed Grace could have sworn she'd heard the wind whisper the faintest of goodbyes.

As she left that beach for a final time, Grace waved a goodbye to a place where they'd once stood. Revisiting the beach and getting rid of the ring were things she had wanted to do for a long time but never could. Each time she tried it had been too much and teary eyes had blurred her vision and she couldn't breathe as she become so overwhelmed with hurt and betrayal that she could barely function. But today was different. Today, as Grace left the beach she didn't break down. Instead she held her head high and smiled a small smile as a single tear ran down her cheek. The last tear she would cry over him for a long, long while.

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Thanks for reading, reviews are always welcomed!


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